Tag: lunch on the porch in February

Raking with one Hand

David didn’t have a chance to put the stake for Kacey near the garden, but I had the irresistible urge to get outside and do something useful on a very warm winter day. Using a child’s rake to clear the iris bed seemed reasonable. The bed could have used a heavier hand, but I did what I could while holding the leash. The dog seemed content to watch. It wasn’t until I finished that I found she had tangled the leash in an over-grown bush and couldn’t move. Kudos to her for waiting patiently.

Since raking went fairly well, I came inside for the coffee grounds. We’ve had a resident skunk digging in the front yard, looking for grubs. I read that coffee grounds were not to their liking. I don’t think coffee is much of a deterrent, but it saves us having to take the stuff to the dump. Kacey sniffed every spoonful, making sure there wasn’t a tidbit hidden in there for her.

The temperature continued to go up as the sun reached the middle of the sky. Despite the warmth being one degree below my usual cutoff point, I ate lunch on the porch. It wasn’t quite like summertime. I ate hot clam chowder and wore a heavy sweater. It was not a meal to linger over with good company.

Culinary Contest – Tennessee vs.New Jersey

Last summer I was reintroduced to MoonPies, a Southern favorite I hadn’t had since I was a child. MoonPies were invented in Chattanooga TN in1917. The story goes that a miner asked for a filling snack as big as the moon that would fit in his lunchbox, and the rest is history. We bought a box of them. Our grandsons were not impressed, and I have to admit, I thought the sweets had more chocolate taste years ago. The snack is a sandwich – two graham cookies with a marshmallow filling, coated with chocolate. The boys said Mallomars were much better.

We looked for Mallomars and discovered they are not produced during warm-weather months. Hot weather would melt the treats. At long last, I remembered to look and found Mallomars at our local supermarket. We also found a knock-off at Aldi, the German grocery chain. Now the contest was on. Would either of the sweets beat MoonPies? The answer was, yes, hands down! As soon as Nathaniel tasted the Aldi brand, he said MoonPies were out of the running. Tennessee, you lost.

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Note: We ate lunch on the porch!

The next contest was between Mallomars and Aldi’s brand. According to the Mallomars box, they were invented by Nabisco in 1913 and sold in West Hoboken, NJ. They are still a Northern treat – 70% of all sales are made in the New York metropolitan area. I was glad our local market made the 30% cut. With no dramatic drum roll, we put one of each on our plates. Nathaniel and John made quick decisions in favor of Mallomars. They liked the darker chocolate coating. I held out for the Aldi’s brand for two reasons. The base cookie was chocolate, and it cost about half the amount of Mallomars. I knew I was a miser, but I had no idea miserliness could direct the taste buds. It will be interesting to see where David will cast his vote in a couple of weeks.